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| United States Patent |
6,078,300
|
|
Militz
, et al.
|
June 20, 2000
|
Device for connecting an external antenna
Abstract
A device for connecting an external antenna to at least one transmitting
and/or receiving unit provided in a motor vehicle, the external antenna
being connected via an antenna connection that has been passed through a
first orifice in the vehicle body to an antenna cable linked to the at
least one transmitting and/or receiving unit and being secured with
anti-rotation locking to the vehicle body by a plug passed through a
second orifice in the vehicle body, to render possible the connection of
an additional transmitting and/or receiving device to the antenna. The
plug is configured to accommodate a plug-in connection connected to the
antenna. The plug-in connection is connectible to the mating connector of
an antenna cable linked to at least one further transmitting and/or
receiving unit.
| Inventors:
|
Militz; Uwe (Berlin, DE);
Warzecha; Wolfgang (Berlin, DE);
Lindemann; Bernd (Berlin, DE)
|
| Assignee:
|
Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart, DE)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
107925 |
| Filed:
|
June 30, 1998 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Jul 11, 1997[DE] | 197 29 854 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
343/906; 343/713; 343/725 |
| Intern'l Class: |
H01Q 001/50 |
| Field of Search: |
343/713,725,906
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 5099249 | Mar., 1992 | Seavey | 343/700.
|
| 5576720 | Nov., 1996 | Gorenz, Jr. et al. | 343/702.
|
| 5610620 | Mar., 1997 | Stites et al. | 343/725.
|
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 0 747 993 | Dec., 1996 | EP | .
|
| 2 707 800 | Jan., 1995 | FR | .
|
| 91 02 092 | May., 1991 | DE | .
|
| 295 00 961 | Jun., 1995 | DE | .
|
| 44 33 725 | Mar., 1996 | DE | .
|
| 195 43 625 | Jan., 1997 | DE | .
|
| 195 46 010 | Jun., 1997 | DE | .
|
Primary Examiner: Wong; Don
Assistant Examiner: Chen; Shih-Chao
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kenyon & Kenyon
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for connecting an external antenna to a first communication
unit and to a second communication unit in a motor vehicle, each of the
first and second communication units including a transmitting and/or
receiving unit, the device comprising:
an antenna connection passing through a first orifice in a body of the
vehicle for connecting the external antenna to a first antenna cable
coupled to the first communication unit;
an anti-rotation locking plug passing through a second orifice in the
vehicle body, the anti-rotation locking plug preventing a rotation of the
external antenna with respect to the vehicle body; and
a plug-in connection for connection to a mating connector of a second
antenna cable coupled to the second communication unit, the plug
accommodating the plug-in connection to connect the external antenna to
the plug-in connection.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in connection is
configured as a coaxial cable connection.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in connection is
configured as an SMB plug connector.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second communication unit
transmits and receives GPS signals.
Description
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
It is already known to provide the antenna base of the external antenna of
a motor vehicle with an antenna connection that is electrically connected
to the transmitting and/or receiving part of the antenna and to pass this
antenna connection through an orifice provided as a circular hole in the
vehicle body, and to attach it, e.g., using threaded connection means to
an antenna cable linked to a transmitting and/or receiving unit. To
prevent the external antenna from twisting about the axis of the antenna
connection, provision is made at the antenna base for an additional plug
for locking against rotation, and this plug is passed through a second
orifice of the vehicle body provided for this purpose. The two orifices
are standardized in many motor vehicles and include two circular holes of
different diameters, disposed at a predefined distance from one another.
The drawback in this context is that only one antenna connection is able
to be passed through the first orifice. If it is required to connect a
second transmitting and/or receiving unit via a separate antenna cable to
the antenna, then a third orifice must be made available for leading
through an additional antenna connection. This is not possible using the
standard connections of most automotive manufacturers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The control unit according to the present invention has the advantage that
the external antenna is able to be connected via an additional plug-in
connection to a second transmitting and/or receiving unit, without having
to alter the standard orifices provided for this in the vehicle body. This
is advantageously achieved in that the plug introduced into the second
orifice is provided (configured) to accommodate an additional antenna
connection configured as a plug-in connection. Integrating a second
antenna connection in the plug makes it possible to connect a further
transmitting and/or receiving unit to the antenna (duplex system), without
having to alter the standard orifices in the vehicle body specified by the
automotive manufacturer.
It is beneficial to design the plug-in connection integrated in the plug as
a coaxial cable connection that meets SMB standards. The benefit attained
hereby is that, for example, a radio can be linked to the antenna
connection that has been passed through the first orifice in the vehicle
body and, moreover, a transmitting and/or receiving unit for GPS signals
(e.g., a satellite telephone) can be connected to the antenna. This is not
possible using known devices for connecting an antenna.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 depicts schematically a cross-section through an external antenna
mounted on a vehicle roof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As revealed in FIG. 1, a body part 2 of a motor vehicle his a first orifice
9 and a second orifice 6 for securing an external antenna 1. The orifices
are formed as circular holes having a standard diameter specified by the
automotive manufacturer. Antenna 1 has an antenna base 3, mounted upon
motor vehicle body 2, including an antenna connection 4, which is guided
through first orifice 9 to the vehicle interior, and is secured there by a
fixing means 15 to vehicle body 2. Moreover, an antenna cable 10 linked to
at least one first transmitting and/or receiving unit 11, which, for
example, can be a radio or a GSM telephone, is attached via fixing means
15 to antenna connection 4.
Without plug 5, antenna 1 would not be secured with anti-rotation locking
to body 2. For that reason, FIG. 1 also reveals that a plug 5 joined to
antenna base 2 is guided through a second orifice 6 in body 2. This plug 5
is used, on the one hand, as anti-rotation protection and, on the other
hand, for accommodating an additional antenna connection constituted as
plug-in connection 7, which is connected to the transmitting and receiving
part of antenna 1. In addition, plug-in connection 7, which is set
(flush-mounted) in the plug, is able to be connected to mating connector 8
of an antenna cable 12, which is connected to a second transmitting and/or
receiving unit 13. Preferably, plug-in connection 7 is a 50-ohm coaxial
cable connection or an SMB plug connector, which is suitable, for example,
for GPS (global positioning system) signals. Unit 13 can be a satellite
telephone, for example. By way of plug-in connection 7, it is possible to
transmit transmission signals on antenna 1 and, at the same time, to
receive radio signals from a satellite. By way of antenna connection 4,
one can then simultaneously receive radio or use a GSM telephone, for
example.
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